Bike security on LEJOG

[Bugner]

Do I need to take a lock with me for LEJOG. Thinking that if we stop for a bit to eat at a pub and have to leave the bikes outside, would want them locked up?

So for those that have LEJOGed already, did you take a lock? if so which one? or is it just extra unessecary weight?

 

[shirokazan]

So for those that have LEJOGed already, did you take a lock? if so which one? or is it just extra unessecary weight?

I took a simple, cable lock with a combination lock. I think I only used it occasionally overnight when I was on campsites. Maybe I've been lucky but I've never found security to be too much of an issue whilst touring.

 

[Kirstie]

I took a very lightweight specialized cable lock with a key. We usually didn't need it overnight but we did use it when we went into places for lunch.

 

[Big T]

I'd take a decent lock just in case. Our bikes were stored indoors every night except one, but we still used the locks when stopping in major towns. We locked the bikes up outside Glasgow library for 2 hours and they were still there when we came back.

Tesco do an amoured Bronze standard sold secure cable lock for around a tenner. That's what we used.

 

[vernon]

I used a lightweight cable lock - mainly to deter opportunist thieves. More often than not I didn't bother locking the bike at camp sites iilogical - I know.

I left my bike unlocked outside the amphitheatre at Orange for a couple of hours with no ill effects.

A couple of fellow cycle tourists were absolutely terrified about locking their bikes to the furniture outside a Formule 1 hotel in France despite it being directly in the line of sight of the concierge. I slept well , they got up twice through the night to check the bikes.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Definitely take a decent lock. There's always a chance of a bike being stolen, and there would be no worse time for it to happen. For the sake of fifty quid and a bit of weight, why wouldn't you lock it?

 

[samid]

FWIW - two years ago I stayed at a campsite near Morpeth, and the guy in the office offered to lock my bike in the office overnight saying that they had a few cases of bike theft during the night. So I'm with Ben on this - a good lock might not be the ultimate in bike security but it is better than nothing when you can't take the bike indoors, and - IMHO - should be better than a cable lock. I carry a U-lock (with a widish "U" to allow locking to more trees) with me and always lock the bike overnight when I'm camping. It's not that heavy and provides some peace of mind.

 

[kettle]

Re leaving your bikes outside a library in Glasgow. This is a very safe thing to do as such places in Glasgow are not visited by anybody.
Was the library still there when you returned?